Chapter 62

Chapter 62: You Didn’t Need to Humiliate Yourself

Madam Cui had no mood to care about any of that, because she suddenly remembered something.

In the previous dynasty, there had been a Madam Dong who held an imperial title, and she had once been taken by bandits as well. After she was rescued, in order to prove her innocence, she volunteered to undergo a chastity punishment and handed her entire dowry over to her husband’s family. Only then did she gain their forgiveness.

Sheng Zhi Wan had been taken by mountain bandits and returned only after a whole night. Who knew if she had already lost her chastity?

“If that is not what Miss Meng meant, then fine.” Sheng Zhi Wan lifted her foot, ready to enter the residence. “I am tired. I am going back to rest.”

Qi Shu Xian’s expression turned ugly to the extreme.

“Stop!” Madam Cui spoke up.

Her heart pounded with excitement as she hurried to Sheng Zhi Wan. She looked Sheng Zhi Wan up and down and asked loudly, “Mother knows you do not want to talk about what happened yesterday, Zhi Wan. Tell Mother honestly. Did those people do something to you, so you refuse to say anything?”

As Madam Cui spoke, her eyes even turned a little red. She reached out and held Sheng Zhi Wan’s hand with a show of pity. “Do not worry. Our Duke Residence is not an unreasonable household. If you truly suffered, you do not need to be afraid. You were forced. Tell Mother, and Mother will have Shu Xian avenge you at once!”

“And as for you, you only need to follow the example of Madam Dong. Who would dare say anything then? Mother will still acknowledge you as our daughter-in-law, and Shu Xian will certainly treat you as he always has!”

Madam Cui’s voice rang out, firm and decisive.

Around them, it became deathly quiet.

Meng Yang did not know anything about Madam Dong, but Qi Shu Xian and most of the commoner who had grown up in Sheng Kingdom did.

“House Duke Qi truly is kind. They can even accept a daughter-in-law who has lost her chastity.”

“If it were another household, they might have beaten her to death on the spot!”

“That depends on the daughter-in-law’s status. Don’t forget, she is Princess Qing Ning.”

“True, but even if she is a Princess, she is still a married woman. Losing chastity is her fault.”

Those murmurs stabbed into Qi Shu Xian’s ears like fine needles.

His eyes turned red, and he stared at Sheng Zhi Wan in disbelief.

No wonder… no wonder she could return safely. No wonder all the mountain bandits had died overnight. Something must have happened, and that was why every single one of them had been silenced.

Yes. It had to be like that.

The veins on Qi Shu Xian’s forehead throbbed.

Madam Cui’s pitiful tone hid her excitement as she asked again, “Good child, tell Mother. Were you bullied?”

Whether Sheng Zhi Wan admitted it or not, being kidnapped was a fact. If she wanted to prove her innocence, she could only do what Madam Dong had done. Otherwise, everyone’s spit could drown her.

Madam Cui’s heart raced at the thought of gold and jewels.

Qi Shu Xian stared at Sheng Zhi Wan as well. His lips moved, and his voice came out so faint even he could not hear it. “Zhi Wan, tell me. Was it…?”

“Ha.” Sheng Zhi Wan pulled her hand away and suddenly laughed. “Doesn’t Heir Apparent already have an answer in your heart?”

Just like in her past life. Even if he had seen her climb out of a mud pit, filthy and miserable, because no one could testify for her, he had decided she was already unclean.

Back then, she had already shared a bed with Qi Shu Xian before she ever ran into mountain bandits, so she had no way to prove she was still untouched.

But now it was different. She could prove it.

Yet why should she prove anything just because of what Qi Shu Xian thought?

Because Sheng Zhi Wan thought of her past life, the smile on her lips carried a sour kind of release. That expression fell into Qi Shu Xian’s eyes and only gave him more of an answer.

It was as if a string in his mind snapped with a sharp twang. Qi Shu Xian suddenly swung his fist and smashed it into the pillar behind him. At once, cracks spread across the thick pillar like a spiderweb.

If Qi Shu Xian stayed with Meng Yang, it was because he was a man.

But Sheng Zhi Wan was a woman. For women, chastity always came first.

Qi Shu Xian’s heart ached to the point of agony. He could not accept it, yet he also knew he absolutely could not show more emotion at this moment. Just as Mother had said, Sheng Zhi Wan had been forced. If he said anything now, how could Sheng Zhi Wan live afterward?

Qi Shu Xian’s voice turned rough and dry. “Mother is right. You were forced. I… will not blame you for it.”

Sheng Zhi Wan almost wanted to throw up on the spot when she heard that.

“Heir Apparent does not need to humiliate yourself like this,” Sheng Zhi Wan said coldly. “If you feel disgusted, you can divorce me right now. After all, in your heart I have already lost my chastity, haven’t I? Perfect. You can also clear a place for your beloved Miss Meng.”